Israel

Exploratory drilling near the coasts of Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey has unearthed vast reserves of natural gas. Competition over the rights to tap those resources is compounding existing tensions over sovereignty and maritime borders. The eastern Mediterranean is quickly becoming as volatile as its eastern cousin, the South China Sea.

The Obama administration seems inclined to let the president use this week's visit to Israel to reaffirm the same old talking points. Such a staid trip might count as a personal success for Obama, but it will only to damage the administration's already weak efforts to revitalize the peace process.

Last month, Israel's intelligence agency once again quietly indicated that it had downgraded its assessments of Iran's ability to build a nuclear bomb. It is time for Israel and the West to cut down on their alarmism. Crying wolf too early and too often can destroy a government's credibility and leave it vulnerable.

During the run up to the recent election, Israelis were less focused than usual on the Palestinian issue. But the current stalemate is untenable, and the next government will have to consider feasible ways to move forward, with an eye toward the lessons from similar conflicts such as those in Cyprus, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Kashmir.